Tripod leg structure



1949. R. J. PA GL|USO 2,430,382

TRIPOD LEG STRUCTURE Filed April 22, 1946 22 v 23 2x4 I Z4 7 ,3 be

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INVENTOR,

. egiboidiriiei ts; it being unde Patented Aug. 30, 1949 2,480,382

NIT FTATE-S 2,480,382

emen LEG serene Rg: Benet .1.- Pa l eiem f e a Application April 22, 1946', Weiss, seam s lClaii ns. (c1; tie-1'91) TENT o-FFICE h m ntion is a tripod iles Smemme 9L $11 6 9.1 pifi -fi d princ l of the i e ;t3npe.or .usewith cameras; thong-11 its use-is not t t is more ir, ctly claimed in conclusion. thus'ilimited. a I I i ,1 is along tndinally broken, fiartlysec- It is one object of the. inventionto eneatmim- :i'iwt sls e l oflg 12h? partly Contracted leg. prove the ieonstruotionof tripod legs involv 1 g $3 $0 a l 1 39? i el tubular, telescopic legs sectionshwher eby to ,sended, sectiqil s{, the lee Kin. a Vi w 9" Q vourethe relative adjustment .of, the sections with gg'. v l). Fig-lire ,3 is a detail seetiopfof tfie rapidity and facility; and to efiect rigidity softhe perendaof {me lower; inner section of the leg sect-ions after the desired adjustment has been gnildi9fiiligit$ stop pin. Figured isa c-ross- --made. the leg/section, on line 4 4" Fig; 3.

Another object of inven-tionwis' to provide telescopic legs sections .which cannot be rotated relatively out of a given position in which they are assembled for telescopic actions only.

A ffirther purpose of'the invention is to provide ase otional leg struot jre, in a-tr'i-pod, in which sta'ntialiy cylindricafl leg sections are emp1 led anee es constructed and assembledth at s' 1;idi1 g eo ntaeti orbearing features are of such N character as to prevent long sdrfaces of contact ggen egl H v =lo ir1;;' made fb etvveen; the mutually -telescopic long frictioriall sect'ions"to efiect" a smooth sliding action and VQIIHIQIJQIIQQQQ' V prevent galling of lcontigu'ons surfaces of "the t ,9

An aidditipnai object is to proVide a tripod 1 Dper-,. d, I str 1 1 re 'nvolvin'g telescopic sectionshavin'g an suitable: -y9 e 4 intersghn relation to prevent relative rotation a pivot 5 to a give er th sec vio s and tep vi efi'nli-ni i dev 'e w I N we I in qrpq ie i e. mu eellv ttin parts, t limit r evor. h .-purne e e entin elat v th ext nsio tbe' e etedle ect ons of; :the;;ieg sQQE Q l-, Mme m n er n 1 e s n baee pj the n entien i e 'wvid a simple, reliable, effective and sulostantiai ol ja qp i e nk e nd v ce whe eb etp v em orari fi L e sect ns a de r d,p itipnsfie 9n' 4 t s ine radius mentanywhe e rreeee h f ';e th .e ne ctioig 'bae t 1 t; Sal i 191 51. 1 0 t brakin ev e by p ovision of sz ect p p s' eme e; ear 9e .on thelloilv lfil d ofiheseetiq l I se-o ie l eesi' able J a tripod The llar-Benet 9e e.. rie hez ed 3 3,?

leg h V oan be reliably, positioned by way'of a' rubber or means Joyv the 4 W? 1, -12 be?l ketoe.w th umezardiotsl ppi iep h urely. l oso sed t mines engaged surface, and to inoludi i ilhi9bfi he adjustmentzin theeolltgr ;seoj;i tripod legv a .readily av ajlable hard and pomted means. indl'udeSJ-a 1iand screyv spike to effectively take a standing hold in cases inithe ieoiiar at a side tn when the rubbergto e mightjnot'be so sure in ac ion ndi i her anv biesz r e FQ PI VN readily projective, normally retr acted' and eoncealed spike device, and moreover, to provide aself-locking:.andyautomatic spike device. section 2;.whe13eat w;111 be $1 pnl $1' The invention resides in certain features of tact zone-of =the1inner. section, 3 OI1 .t advancement in the con'struction of tripod legs section. ;This.is made so peea seathe assetsforthinthe ensuing'd' sure and; giving, of the inner tube' -3=is provided a, V width the above, additional 9 ects and advanhead all .,0 f, slightly larger diameter than the 1; 'ges :as t 1ereinafter develoliedglnd who's consection: -andsnue Yfii 2iQethe bore of th ses.-

" tine vin sum,e 1 e eneeefee thiaiii u s .iormsesu o ti eabm s ee clamp notion s, combinations and, Lydo-cong bina ons,

gllowin g ldescription of th tiongwariation's andadaptat onsjmay resorted thereon against end play by plate flanges l3. The late fits on and inwardly depresses a resilient leaf portion 2a formed in the end portion of the section 2 by cutting longitudinal, parallel slots l4 therein. It will be seen that regardless of the longitudinal position of admstment of the lower leg section 3 in the outer section 2, the locking leaf 2a can be pressed n by the presser plate 12, as the hand screw I6 is turned inward, to engage and force the interposed leg section over to and firmly against the near bore face of the lower end of the upper section 2. I

The spline key 7 has the additional function of acting as a positive barrier in the path of a cooperative device carried by the lower section 3 whereby to stop extension of this section from the housing or outer section 2. mentioned embodies a substantial radial pin firmly driven into and expanding a mounting block l6 solidly in the bore of the relative inner, lower section 3, Fig. 3; the block being near the upper end of this section. At any position of the extensible leg section 3 its head ll forms a reliable stabilizer for the said section, and when the brake or clamp designed to close on the inner section is well set by the screw Hi the leg assembly is made reliably rigid and capable of standing rough handling-which is incidental to phototripod use. When the locking or clamp device is free the leg sections can be easily, smoothly, quickly and accurately adjusted to the desired relative position, and in a fraction of a second the clamp device can be set up to rigidly hold the adjusted, splined sections 2 and 3.

A particular advance in tripod legs here incorporates a combination of parts on the foot end of a leg selective for the reliable holding of the leg foot on various natures of ground or other surfaces upon which it is desired to stand the tripod.

For use on some surfaces there is suitably fixed on the bottom end of the leg section 3 a hard the nature of the surface or an unfavorable angle of repose.

To accomplish safety of leg footing there is here provided a hard metal spike 2|, which, in Figs. 2 and 7 is axially slidable in and as to the fixed toe 26 in the bore hole a. of which the spike 21 is guided and stabilized.

The inner end of the spike has a rigid plunger 2la guidedly fitting the bore of the leg section 3 and movable downwardly to project the spike from a concealed and protected position, Fig. 2, to an exposed and useful position, Fig. 7. The inner end of the plunger 21a is provided with a radial button 22 constantly pressed outwardly by an expansion spring 23 in the plunger. Along the foot end of the leg section 3 is made a dumbbell slot 24, Fig. 1, in which the button 22 interlocks when the spike is either retracted or projected and the outer end of the button has a reduced nog 22a sliding in the reduced portion of 'the slot 24 when the button is depressed to unlock it from the bulb end of the slot. The spike 2|,

of Fig. 2, is shifted in or out by manual effort on the button 22, and self-locks, when released from control, in the bulb ends of the button slot 24.

If desired the spike 21 may be of self-retracting type as in Fig. 7, where an expansion spring 25 seated in the leg end, reacts on the plunger 2| a so that when the extended spike is unlocked 76 The device here by depression of its locking button 22, at the outer position, Fig. 7, the spring 25 instantly snaps the spike back into the guide slot 24a which has no enlargement at its upper end since the spring 25 holds the spike retracted.

What is claimed is:

1. A tripod leg composed of telescopic, tubular sections one of the sections having a resilient leaf part, and a manually operative device for clamping the leaf in holding function on the other section and including a collar fixed on the outer section, a flanged clamp plate movably fitted in the collar and resting on said part, and a set screw in the collar for pressing the plate in clamping action on said part; and a key rigidly fixing the collar to the outer section and splining the inner section to the outer section; said sections mutually bearing one in the other.

2. A tripod leg having telescopic mutually interbearing sections one of which has a splining key holding the sections against relative rotation and which forms a stop cooperative and to limit extension of the other section, and a collar fixed on the outer section by said key and having a presser plate fitted on the inner section and a clamp screw in the collar for closing the said plate; the outer section lining the bore of the collar.

3. A tripod leg including telescopic, tubular sections; a collar on the lower end of the outer section, a key in and fixing the collar and splining and limiting extension of the inner section, and a resilient leaf member afiixed to the outer section, a hand screw mounted in the collar, and a presser plate in the collar and depressible by the screw to contract the leaf into holding engagement on the inner section.

4. A tripod leg having telescopic sections nonrotative one on the other and the inner section havin a splineway, a block in the bore of the inner section and a diametrical stop pin projecting from the block into the splineway, and the outer section having a spline key slidable in the said splineway, and a clamp collar fixed to the F outer section by said key; said key and said pin being cooperative to stop extension of the said sections relatively.

5. A tripod leg section having a traction foot part and a spike axially shiftable in the said part, said part having a longitudinal slot in one side with button seats at its ends, and a radial-shank button yieldably mounted in said spike and shiftable along the slot with axial motion of the spike and interlocking in either of the said seats to fasten the spike in selected position.

6. The combination of claim 5; the spike shifting unresistingly when the button is cleared from the said seats.

ROBERT J. PAGLIUSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

